This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
Vehicles, such as pickup trucks, having an open top cargo box are popular because the cargo box enables objects of various sizes to be placed therein and transported. Tonneau cover systems can be used to cover the top of cargo box when in a deployed or closed arrangement to protect the contents against the environment and theft, for example. An exemplary tonneau cover is formed of a plurality of rigid members connected by flexible hinges so that the tonneau cover can be rolled-up into a retracted arrangement within a storage housing typically positioned adjacent a forward end of the cargo box. In a deployed arrangement, the tonneau cover can be extended out from within the storage housing to cover the cargo box.
While current tonneau covers are suitable for their intended use, they are subject to improvement. For example, a tonneau cover that is better able to resist being cut open by a sharp edge inserted through one or more of the flexible hinges would be desirable. The present teachings advantageously provide for a tonneau cover with flexible hinges that are better able to resist penetration by a sharp edge as compared to current tonneau covers. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present teachings provide numerous additional advantages as well.